Heavyweights

Heavyweights Episodes

Though it's been around for centuries, the last 50 years has seen a boom in the coffee business. But just how did we go from a simple can of Maxwell House to be Runnin' on Dunkin' and spending $5 on a Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks? This episode explores just how America came to be dominated by premium cups of caffeinated brew.

There is a long history between three companies – Kellogg's, General Mills & Post – who made their names putting sugary bits of oats into boxes and enticing kids to eat breakfast. From its birth in a sanitarium to its recent healthy revolution, cereal has been a cheap and easy breakfast mainstay since the Industrial Revolution with these three companies truly thinking outside the (cereal) box.

Between "Have it Your Way" and "I'm Lovin' It," whether you love the Whopper or the Big Mac?from Red-headed clowns to paper crowns  Americans have so many iconic memories courtesy of the two most famous burger purveyors in the country. This episode explores how McDonald's and Burger King have done everything in their power to be on top of the burger heap.

In the ultra-competitive fast-food world, burgers have dominated since the beginning but some have tried to buckthe trend by enticing the non-burger eater.

Whether it's Taco Bell thinking outside the bun, Subway offering diners the option to eat fresh, or KFC claiming finger-lickin' as their mantra, these three heavyweights have taken on a new kind of fast food battle.

It's dog-eat-dog as America's favorite franks have competed to boast the winning wiener for over a century. From the brand every kid knew how to spell to the one that claims to answer to a higher authority, Oscar-Meyer, Hebrew National and Nathan's Famous have launched a tasty battle in their fight to be top dog.

The dawn of TV led to many things, not the least of which was the much-maligned but quite beloved TV dinner. This amazing innovation brought frozen meals into every American home and two companies, Swanson's and Stouffer's, have led the revolution for over 50 years. But as time and taste changes, so must the business model of frozen food and these heavyweights have responded in vastly different ways.

Cookies became big business in the 20th century and there is no one bigger in the bakery aisle than Nabisco, whose Oreo's, Chips Ahoys and Fig Newtons became synonymous with sweets. That is, until another company called Keebler moved into their territory with some delicious Fudge Stripe Cookies and some very memorable little elves.